I rush from the room with an odd sense of relief. I have a purpose, something to do while I wait for the games to begin. I just have to find Janet and make sure she’s not part of this.
45
Panic Is Not My Best Look
I’d avoided beingout in public since this morning for good reason,dammit.Though, so far, no one has bothered to address me directly, the amount of looks and whispers I’ve been getting for the last half hour have been intense and unnerving.
I checked the courtyard first, maybe taking more time than I should have, but it was incredible to feel the freedom of the open air. It helped to relax my stressed lungs.
Then, I went to the lunch hall where most of Minor Hall has been hanging out. The administration has apparently provided food and drinks for the day, as well as a few comfortable chairs and pillows. I walk through the room, looking over the huddled groups. There are at least a hundred students here but no Janet.
Something buzzes by my ear. I spin, nothing.
“Lola?” I ask.
Then, she darts in front of my nose, her purple wings beating hard. “OMG, are you okay? I keep hearing all these rumors.”
My eyebrows pull down, and I look past her to the several students staring, even some pressing in as if to hear our conversation better. “Yep, I’m fine,” I say with a forced smile. “Have you seen Janet?”
She shakes her head. “Not in a while. She was here for lunch, but I haven’t seen her since.”
I bite my lip.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Uh, I just need to talk to her about something. Did she say anything? Was she going to see her boyfriend or something?” I ask, hoping for something to reassure me that Janet isn’t involved in this.
Her eyes widen. “She didn’t say, but she did say she had something to do tonight, which doesn’t really make sense since all of our hall is closed. Maybe there’s a party in Major Hall or something?”
I twist my lips as I consider this. Not good news. Not at all.
“Do you think her boyfriend is in Major Hall?” I ask. That’s news that would be a bit hopeful at least. It’s unlikely a Major Hall boy would care much about her status.
She shrugs and twists around. “She doesn’t say much about him. He’s not in Elite or Minor Hall, that’s all I really know.”
“Does it concern you that she’s keeping it a secret?”
She sniffs. “I dunno. It’s a little weird, but what’s there really to worry about?”
I bite the inside of my lip. “It’s what my sister did before she died. If I knew who she was dating, I may have been able to do something about it, but now…”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she says. “I get why it would worry you. But I think—I think this is okay.” She doesn’t sound all that confident, but neither does she seem overly concerned.
“Yeah, thanks.”
She darts forward and lands on my shoulder, whispering into my ear, “There have been some rumors about you and Jarron. Are you all right? Is this really about Janet?”
“I’m okay. Kinda. We did get in a fight, and I don’t know—but I am concerned about Janet. If you see her, will you try to find me?”
She drifts up and away from my shoulder. “Yep. Do you need anything, though? We can go hide away somewhere. Get away from the looks.”
I give her a sincere smile. Man do I wish I could do that now. “No. Thank you, though. It means a lot you’d be willing to do that. Maybe tomorrow? If things are still bad, I’d wouldn’t mind some time away from everything with you guys.”
“Sounds perfect! I’ll do a quick sweep for Janet too. See if there are any parties going on.”
“Great,” I say with another forced smile, then I spin and head out of the cafeteria.
I’ve run out of places to look, particularly since I may not be safe if I come face to face with wolves.
